


They get to you.

by AinsleyHarriott



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Aftercare, F/M, New Job, OTP Feels, Police, Work, Wounds, Zootopia - Freeform, argument, care, change, relationship, wildehopps, zootropolis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6578614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AinsleyHarriott/pseuds/AinsleyHarriott
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After another injury sustained in the line of Duty, Nick helps Judy take care of it whilst she shares some potentially disruptive news about her job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	They get to you.

“Oh”. Says Nick as he puts down the deep cleaning lotion and wipe and squirts a ball of ‘extra soothing + moisture locking’ cream onto a cotton ball.   
As he brings it up to Judy’s face her leg clenches in anticipation, it’s only the same routine she’d had to do every other week or so for about the last two years, this wound is particularly bad.

“It’ll only be for five months, an-and then we can move if you want, or we could move your mum to a nicer place, it’s nearly double the credits I’m on at the moment, Nick.”

Nick presses the cotton ball lightly in the middle of the three claw scars on her left cheek. Nick was buying ice creams for them when this one happened, but he was the one who eventually chased down the badger who did it after she assured him she was okay. Maybe that’s why he’s not been offered what Judy has, that among other reasons, he thinks. Just to the side are tiny white lines, ghost remnants from Gideon Gray and the scrap in her youth, basically nothing now, like cracks in an egg shell. Gideon still sends her a big bouquet on her birthday, and a pie. It used to be carrot cake but, Nick’s not the biggest fan, and although her parents don’t know it, neither is Judy. The blob of cream spreads under the light pressure he places on the cotton ball and he begins to move in circles as he’s perfected over the last eight months. It’d taken six months of them being together before she’d let him help her with the cuts she picks up in the line of duty. 

“Let me do it, I can see it better, Carrots.” He’d said that first time, but she’d known exactly what he’d meant.

Now he knew exactly how to do it. Judy’s face twitches slightly as he circles the cream over the top claw mark, there was some puss from it earlier. A rare enough occurrence, an injury this size, but it still happens every now and then. 

“So. This ‘special forces’ assignment. What will you be doing?”

He circles back slightly to the lump of cream in the centre of the scar to collect a bit more before massaging it into the second claw mark. 

“Will it be dangerous?”

“I can’t tell you exactly.”

Nick’s hand freezes for a second and his eyes flicker for a second to meet her eyes but he stops at her nose which scrunches slightly.

“But I’m your partner.”

“I know, but they, Nick they made me promise not to tell any other officers.”

Nick pulls the cotton away from her face and pointedly looks at their uniforms discarded on the foot of the bed, then at Judy in her, well, his, FOXX pyjama bottoms and Gazelle shirt and himself on the stool in front of her in his Love Heart boxers.

“Right now I’m not a cop, right now I’m not anything but yours. Come on, Jude.”

He tongues his bottom teeth because he can hear it in his voice, the desperation, the worry. He catches her eyes for the first time since he began with the cream. They both look between one another’s left and right eye for a few seconds before Nick goes back to the cream and the cotton ball and the scars with the attention of a master painter. 

“It’s, undercover work.”

Nick’s heart drops a few inches, his lip does by fractions of a millimeter but she knows, she always knows him. “It’s going to be completely safe, Nick.”

“Undercover, safe. Uh huh. What- ugh.”

“What?”

He circles back from the end of the third claw mark and comes back to the cream, he takes more and does the other side of the scar. 

“What do they need a bunny for Undercover work for? Especially when they blew up your face everywhere for advertising the force, everyone is going to know who you are. You can’t talk your way outta this with what I’ve taught you. This is serious stuff, and I don’t know if I’m comfortable with-…are you actually going to be undercover?”  
She bites her lip and sucks it in but it’s no good, she knows she can’t not tell him. “I won’t be undercover no, I’m going to be leading the investigation from behind closed doors, that’s why it’s such good money and why I can move up when I get back.”

Nick’s hand isn’t putting pressure on her cheek anymore, his head is putting pressure on her chest and he breaths a heavy one. “So…We won’t be partners when you’re back?”

“I know.” She says, and it says ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I hate it too’ in those two words. “But we have to think about us Nick, an-and you could go for Undercover you know you’d be so good.”

Nick picks his head up off her chest and they see each other again. It’s impossible for either of them to tell who’s eyes became wet first.

“But you’d hate that, if I did that. We’ve said it many times. That’s why we like our patrol, that’s why we like it in the centre, it’s interesting but it’s safe, Judy. It’s ours y-y’know-“

“I’m sorry, Nick. What should I tell them though?”

He sighs and puts his head back down, “It’s not even the job, if you’re safe and, you can move up and then that’s great. Change is, eh, change is change but I just…I’m not going to see you for half a year. I might go feral, you know how it is when the moon disappears out of a wolf’s life they go haywire.”

“You’re not a wolf, dumb fox.” She says as she kisses his head. She wipes away the tears in her eyes. Nick lets the two beads drop from his face, one lands on her foot. 

“But if you’re undercover, I mean okay yes you’re not ‘undercover’ undercover so we can still talk, right?”

“Of course, of course, every day, Nick.”

“I’m going to miss you, y’know.”

“I know, I’m going to miss you too. But it won’t be for another three months so we can enjoy every second we have.”

Nick gets the last blob of cream from the centre and rubs it over the last part of the scar, it glistens with moisture. “I already do that anyway, Carrots.” He chucks the cotton ball, wiper, and puss dipped tissues into the bin and then turns back to her “I want to know as much as possible though, when do they need to know your answer by?”

“Friday they said.”

“Okay. Turn your face a little.”

She does and he inspects it a little better in the new light. Good as he’s always done it. All that’s left is their homemade bandage to put over the scar whilst she sleeps.  
“I know I should always do this before I clean it but” he wipes his mouth with alcohol rub, “I can’t resist.” He lightly presses his lips to her wounds and kisses ever so gently.   
“Remember, never let them know that they can get to you…unless they’re a dangerously handsome fox.” He says with a wink.

“Or a sly bunny.” She replies with a smirk which makes Nick’s right eyebrow raise. 

He picks the paper and cotton bandage that’s taped on the back in a criss-cross with medical tape and lays it over the well cleaned wound. He presses the top part of the bandage down on her cheek and she thumbs down the bottom half. He leans back on his stool to take her face in like he always does.

“Beautiful.” He says as he leans in for a kiss.


End file.
